Differential-drive mechanism



A. WINTHER.

DIFFERENTIAL DRIVE MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 22, 1919.

1,351,084. Patented Aug- 31,1920.

5 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A. WINTHER.

DIFFERENTIAL DRIVE MECHANISM. APPLICATLQN FILED on. 22. 1919.

Patented Aug. 31, 1920.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A. WIN THERt DIFFERENTIAL DRIVE MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED ocr. 22, 1919.

1,35 1 ,084, Patented Aug. 31, 1920.

4% LUV/W A. WINTHER.

DIFFERENTIAL DRIVE MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 22. I919.

PaIented Aug. 31, 1920.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

A. WINTHER.

DIFFERENTIAL DRIVE MECHANISM. APPLICATION mgn ocr. 22, 1919.

Patented Aug. 31,1920.

5 S HEETS -SHEET 5.

eather;

.- UNITED sures [Pm-m. orrics.

ANTHONY wmrnnza, or 'KmvosHA, vsrrsconsm, ASSIGNOR 'ro mnawm TRUCK CORPORATION, or-irruvosile, wrsoolvsm, aoonroaarron' or DELAWARE,

' DIFFERENTIAL-DRIVE MECHANISM:

' speeification of Letters Patent; Patented Atlgu 31, 1920..

Application filed October 22, 1919. Serial No. 332,494,,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ANTHONY WINTHER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Kenosha, in the county of Kenosha and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Differential-Drivse -Mechanism.

This invention relates to improvements in vehicle driving mechanism and more particularly to a differential mechanism adapted for use with motor vehicles or trucks in which the power is delivered to both front and rear wheels or, in other words, all of the wheels are driving wheels.

The object of the invention is to provide a device or mechanism designed to be placed preferably intermediate the main drive shaft and propeller shaft for the purpose of compensating for the unequal speeds of the front and rear wheels under certain operating conditions analogous to the conditions present in the case of wheels on the same axle which demand the presence of the usual differential to be found in all motor vehicles which compensates for the increased speed of rotation of the outermost wheel "when the vehicle is traveling in a curvilinear path, as when turning a corner. For

similar reasons it is desirable to provide means in the so-called four wheel drive type of vehicle, to compensate for the varying speed of rotation between the pairs of front and rear wheels. It is pro osed, therefore,

to provide a constructiono a mechanism of this character which will accomplish the desired purpose in the simplest and most efficient manner. The novel features of the invention are hereinafter fully set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which-- Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of, the

chassis of a vehicle equipped with .the devices embodying the features of the invention, V

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of'the chassis shown in Fig. 1,

' Fig. 3 is an enlarged end view of the casin or housing of the device,

ig. 4 is a view in vertical section of the device, a

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view of the clutch mechanism of the devioe,and

Fig." 6 vis a detail cross sectional v1e taken on line 6 -6 of 5, r

-17 mounted in anti-friction bearings. shaft 17, which may be called the primary driven shaft of the device, projects from one end (the front end) of the casing and is fixed by means of. a suitable joint or fiexi-' ble coupling 9 Figs. 1 and 2) to the main.

The device is herein illustrated as a part of a chassis of a motor truck, the same comprising the usual parts, namely, the frame 7 1, including the front and rear axles 2 and 3,

respectively, with the front and rear wheels- Figs. v1 and 2 as a casing having the appearance of two connected housings 10 and 11 disposed one above the other, the upper housingor casing. section 10 being fixed to the central transverse frame member 12 of the chassis-frame 1 and the under housing 11 depending below the frame, The main drive shaft 9 terminates in the-upper casing 10 and in connection with the mechanism. contained therein, there being preferably provided a brake mechanism 13 immediately adjacent the end of said drive shaft,'as will hereinafter be described. Extending from the front and rear ends of the lower casing 11 are the front and rear propeller shafts l4 and 15, respectively, said shafts being connected with the front axle (not shown) andlrear axle differentials 16, respectively,

through which the power is delivered to the wheels in the usual-manner.

Referring now more in detail to the de-' vice, Figs. 4, 5 and 6, within the upper casing 10 (Fig. 4) is a horizontal rotative shaft drive shaft 9. eyed to the shaft 17 just exterior of the casing is a brake drum 19 which is surrounded by a brake band 20 of the contracting type, the'latter being supported by a bracket 21 supported by an'1n-. tegral arm 22 of the casing. The usual form of brake operating members are em- The J ployed, namely, a bell crank lever 23 (Fig. 7

3) connected at one end with the adjacent end of the brake band and at its other end with a link 24 connected to another bell crank lever 25, the vertical arm 26 thereof being joined to a rod 27 (Fig. 2) extending forwardly to a brake lever 28 mounted on the transmission housing 9 adjacentthe drivers seat. A yieldable and adjustable link 29 connectsthe central point or fulsprocket chain j 31,

crum of the bell crank lever 23 with the .opposite end of the brake band 20.

' At the inner end of the shaft 17 is mounted a sprocket wheel 30 on which is carried a said chain extending downwardly into the lower casing 11 through a connecting passage between the two casings and is inclosed within a c'hamrespectively, though only indirectly by the bearing 38 at the forward end, as will hereinafter be pointed out. Keyed to the shaft 34 and directly below the sprocket wheel 30 of the'shaft 17 is a sprocket wheel 40 of slightly larger pitch diameter than said sprocket wheel 30. This sprocket wheel engages and carries the sprocket chain 31-, thus providing a positive chain drive between the primary driven shaft 17 and the secondary driven shaft 34. The end of said shaft adjacent to its sprocket wheel 40 has direct end plate 36 of the connection with the rear propeller shaft 15 by means of a suitable flexible coupling 41,

Figs. 1 and 2, and hence it is obvious that there is a positive drive between the main drive shaft 9 and said rear propeller shaft 15 through the intermediate elements, namely, the shaft 17, sprocketchain 31 and shaft 34.

The forward or opposite endof the shaft 34 is provided with a reduced end portion 34 upon which is mounted the shaft 35, the same being of tubular form, said shaft being rotative on the reduced end portion 34 of the shaft 34 and extending through the bearing engagement with the anti-friction bearing 38. The outer end of the tubular shaft 35 is providedwith an integral dishshapedmember 42 which forms one part of a flexible coupling 43 joining said shaft 35 with the-front propeller shaft 14, shown in Fio'unted in the shafts 34 and 35' are clutch members 44 and 45, respectively, said members consisting of cylindrical sleeves, the member 45 being rigidly fixed to the casing and has direct shaft 35 by means of the key 46, whereas the member 44 is mounted on the shaft 34 in a manner to permit the same to be moved endwise onits. shaft and in a direction toward and from the other clutch member 45,,

there being provided longitudinal grooves 47 formed in the shaft and engaging ribs 48 formed on the inner annular surface of the movable clutch member, Fig. 6. On the opposed faces of the clutch members 44 and 45 are provided series of interlocking clutch teeth 49 and 50, Fig. 5, spaced apart in a manner to'form between them a series of locking recesses 51 and 52, respectively. The end surfaces 49 and 50 of the teeth 49 and 50are preferably beveled or slightly warped in order that the following action may be obtained, namely, assuming that the shaft 34 and clutch member 44 are being rotated .in a counter-clockwise direction, the teeth will be slightly interlocked toithe extent that the lateral faces of two engaging teeth will have bearin contact with each other, as at a, Fig. 5. he end faces 49 and 50 of the teeth thus in'contact are beveled or inclinedfrom the contacting faces, rearwardly to ward the base-of each tooth so that at the opposite sides of the teeth a space separates the same as at b, Fig. 5. It is obvious that so long as the clutch member 44 continues to rotate in a counter clockwise direction the other clutch member will rotate and be driven by it. However, if the clutch member 45 should rotate at a greater speed than the member 44, the beveled end faces of the teeth would come into sliding engagement with the result that a cam action is produced whereby the movable clutch member is shifted endwise and out of locking engagement with the other clutch member, the

teeth passing successively over each other without effectingthe locking of the same. Hence it will be seen that the shaft 34 which is positively driven in a counter-clockwise direction as indicated by the arrow, drives the shaft 35 only so long as the same is not rotated at a greater speed and that when this occurs, as will be hereinafter pointed out, the clutch members are automatically released, said clutch members remaining disengaged until the shaft 35 resumes a speed equal .to or less than the shaft 34, whereupon the clutch members come into engagement again, this being accomplished automatically by the provision of 'a comparatively heavy coiled spring 53 whic is mounted between a tubular extension 54 of the clutch member and washer 55, and the sprocket wheel 40. This spring acts to constantly force the movable clutch member 44 endwise into clutching position and opposes the cam action of the beveled end faces of the clutch teeth. In addition to the spring 53 there is provided another coiled spring 56 of less strength than the spring 53 and located between the temper clutch members 442 and 45, said spring acting to force the members apart, thus insur in the disengagement thereof.

TJnder'certa-in conditions'it is desirable to retain the clutch members in ,positive looking engagement and for this purpose there is provided a yoke member 57 which is'fixed' on a pivot rod 58 mounted in bearings formedin the casing 11 immediately above the clutch member 4A. The yoke member 57 straddles the reduced sleeve portion 54 of the clutch member 4:4, the ends of said yoke member being adapted to bear against the rear-face of said clutch 'member it when the yoke member isswung into the dotted line position shown in F ig.- 5. The pivot rod 58 extends exterior of the casing and is provided with a lever 59, Fig. 3, to the end ofwhich is connected a rod 60 extending forwardly to an operating lever 61 adjacent I to the operators seat, Fig. 2. In this manner a positive driving connection can be established between the shafts 34 and 35 through the medium of the clutch members when the driving conditions 'so warrant.

In order to understand the function and operation of the device, it is to be borne in mind that when a vehicle is being driven in a straight path the speed of the front and rear wheels is obviously equal. 0n the other hand, when the, vehicle is driven in a circular path, as when turning a corner, the tendency is for the front wheels to describe a comparatively wide arc, inasmuch as their pathis defined by the angle of turning of the steering mechanism; The rear wheels,

however, while following the front wheels,

, are not ordinarily steered but'are pulled around'after the front wheels, with the' result that they describe a smaller arc than the front wheels, that is, they icut the .corner, This being the case, the speed of rotation of the front wheels is increased,

whereas the speed of the rear wheels is diminished. A vehicle in which the power is delivered to the front and rear axle from the same driving shaft requires a difi'erentialor compensating device in order to overcome the .difiersn'ce i'if'rot'aitive speed of the frgnt an'd'rear wheels and to eliminate the-strains that would accompany the uneven distribution of power that would,

otherwise result. In the present device this is accomplished by providing a mechanism located between the main drive shaft. and the front and rear propeller shafts and soconstructed that the rear wheels are in positive driving connection withthe main drive shaft and the front wheels or front propeller shaft is driven from the rear propeller shaft there being provided the clutch mechanism which permits the front wheels .to exceed the speed of the rear wheels by automatically disengaging the two propeller shafts during the period of the inthe combination of a prima creased speed of the front propeller shaft, and likewise, automatically effecting the engagement of the propeller shafts when the same resume the same. speed of rotation. Under some conditions of'operation where the maximum tractive effort is required,

and in spite of the difierence that may exist in the speed of the propeller shafts, it is de-, sir'a-ble to lock the propeller shafts to in sure the power being delivered to all of the wheels. The lever operated yoke mechanism or looking member is provided for this purpose as well as for insuring the engagement of the clutch members when reversing. the direction of the shafts as ,in backing-the vehicle, particularly under conditions where the maximum tractive efiort is required.

The features embodied, in my-invention' may obviously be-modified without depart ing from the spirit of theinvention and for thisreason I do not wish to be limited except insofar ,as specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention: 1. Ina device of the character described,

I the combination of a primary driven shaft,

i 2. In a device of the character described, I

the combination of a primary driven shaft,

- a plurality of secondar' "driven shafts in driving connection wit separate vehicle driving gears, one of said secondary shafts having positive driving connection with said primary driven shaft, interlocking clutch members mounted on said secondary shafts acting normally to transmit power from said positively driven shaft to the other second ary shaft, said clutch members being arranged to be automatically released when the speed of said last mentioned secondary shaft exceeds. the speed of the positively driven secondary shaft.

3. In a device of the-character described, I

driven shaft, a plurality of secondary drlven shafts arranged in axial alinement and in driving connection .with separate driving units, means .i'for positively connecting said primary driven shaft with ,one'of said secondary driven shafts, clutch members connecting said positively drivensecondary. shaft and the other secondary" shaft and comprising clutch teeth having interlocking engagement, said teeth being formed to permit said secondary shafts to be automatically 20 J 5. In a device of the character described;

disengaged when 'the speed ofjrotati-on of the last mentioned. secondary shaft exceeds the Yspeedfof: rotation of said posit'ively driven-shaft.

4;;Ina-device of the character described, the combination of a primary driven shaft,

. a plurality of Secondary driven shafts, one of said shafts having positive driving conher out of clutching engagement, when the speed of rotation of sand positively driven tioned secondary drlven shaftexceeds the nection' with said primary driven shaft,

clutch members mounted on each of said.

secondary shafts, one of said clutch members being endwise movable'on its shaft, said clutch members being provided with inter' locking clutch teeth having beveled "end faces arranged to effect the automatic endwise movement of said movable clutch memsecondary shaft is less than the speed of, the other of said shafts.

the combination of a primary driven shaft, a, plurality of secondary driven shafts, one of said secondary shafts having'lpositiv'e driving connection with said primary driven shaft, clutch mechanism interposed between said positively driven secondary shaft and th e'nother secondary haft comprising clutch members arranged .become automatically disengaged whenthe speed of the last menspeed of the positi velyTdriven secondary shaft, and means .forilocking said clutch members from disengagement.

6. In a device of'the character described,

I a plurality of seogindary shafts, one of the same having positive driving connection with said ;;prnnary driven shaft, clutch members monnted on said secondary shafts and normally adapted to have clutchin engagement and capable of being -automatically disengaged when the speed of rotation of one of said shafts exceeds the speed of rotation of the other of said shafts, a comparatively heavy spring opposing the disto the other'and acting automatically to permit one of said propellershafts to rotate freely and at a greater speed-than the other of said propeller shafts.

,8. In a motor vehicle, the combination of a motor, a' mai-n drive shaft, propeller shafts a in. driving connectionwith the front and rear wheels, said rear propellershafts hav- "ing positive drivin 'connec'tion'with 'said I mam drive shaft, 0 utch mechanlsm lnterposed between said front and. rear propeller 'shafts 'and' operating automatically to disengage said front propeller shaft to permit the same to rotate freely and at, a greater speed than the rear propeller shaft.

9. In a motor vehicle, the combination of a motor, a main drive shaft, propeller shafts in drivin connection with the front a'nd 7 rear whee s, a differential mechanism intermediate the front and rear propeller shafts comprising a casing, a'primary shaft mounted in said casinghaving driving connection with said main drive shaft, a plurality ofsecondary shafts each having driving connection with said propellershafts, one of said secondary shafts having positive driving connection with said primary shaft, and clutch mechanism interposed between said secondary shafts and normally acting to transmit power from said positively driven secondary shaft to the other secondary shaft and acting automatically to disconnect'said secondary shafts to 'permits'aid last mentioned secondary shaft to rotate freely and at a greater speed than the positively driven secondary shaft 10. In a motor vehicle, the combination of a main drive shaft and propeller shafts in driving connection with the front and rear wheels, a differential mechanism interposed the combinatiomof a primary driven shaft,

engagement of said c'lutch members, a combetween said main drive. shaft and said propeller shafts and comprising a casing embracing the free'ends of said shafts, means within said casing for positively connecting said main driving shaft to the rear wheel propeller shaft, and clutch mechanism inter posedbetween. said propeller shaft,.said clutch mechanism acting automatically to disengage said propeller shafts when the speed of rotation of the front wheel propel ler shaft exceeds thespeedof the rear wheel propeller shaft; 9

11. In a motor vehicle, the combination of a main drive shaft, front and rear wheel propeller shafts, and a differential mechanism interposed betweensaid drive shaft and propeller shafts comprising a positive gear drive connecting said main drive shaft and rear wheel-propeller shaft, clutch mechanism' intermediate said propeller shafts, means automatically disengaging said clutch' members when the speed of said front wheelpropeller shaft exceeds the speed of the rear propeller shaft, and manually operable means for locking said clutch members to gether. v ,4

In witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 8th day of October,

ANTHONY WINTHER. 

